Many people have never seen these insects before because they are a relatively new pest in the United States.

“They were accidentally introduced to Georgia in the fall of 2009. These bugs are very mobile and by 2010, they had spread throughout Georgia and into South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina,” Rayburn said.

Melissa Huffman, field crop agriculture extension agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension, said that kudzu bugs didn’t start showing up here until this year.

“I scouted soybean fields last year, and this wasn’t a problem,” she said.

Rayburn said she’s had many calls from the Richlands area about the insects.

Many people have never seen these insects before because they are a relatively new pest in the United States.

“They were accidentally introduced to Georgia in the fall of 2009. These bugs are very mobile and by 2010, they had spread throughout Georgia and into South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina,” Rayburn said.

Melissa Huffman, field crop agriculture extension agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension, said that kudzu bugs didn’t start showing up here until this year.

“I scouted soybean fields last year, and this wasn’t a problem,” she said.

Rayburn said she’s had many calls from the Richlands area about the insects.

“In Onslow County, local farmers have been controlling kudzu bugs in the soybean fields throughout the summer,” she said. “Now the bugs are moving out of the soybean fields and woodlands and searching for places to over-winter.”

As the temperatures begin to drop, the kudzu bugs will begin to look for places to shelter them from the winter cold, Huffman said.

The bugs often are attracted to light-colored surfaces, like the sides of buildings.

She recommends sealing off windows, door frames or any other gaps in the house where the bugs can get inside.

“If they’re in your house, they won’t do any harm,” she said. “Do not step on them because they stink.”

Huffman said that if a resident wants to get rid of the bugs, the best thing to do is vacuum them up. The bugs pose more of a problem to farmers than homeowners.

“They can affect the soybean yield,” Huffman said.

While the bugs may not be anything more than a nuisance to homeowners and gardeners, Rayburn and Huffman agree that some plants like ornamental wisteria, beans and peas may need protection during the growing season.

For more information about kudzu bugs, visit: insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/kudzubug.htm.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.